Twisted
by sigyn-chi
Summary: In an alternate world where Dante had been the one to be captured and brainwashed by Mundus, Nero is raised by Dante. Years later, Nero goes on a mission where he meets the leader of the rebel forces and his life changes...  DantexNero
1. Twisted

Warning: DantexNero, Evil!Dante, Evil!Trish, kindofEvil!Nero, Good!Vergil (what the hell?), heavy reference to the Devil May Cry 2 novel and character's death

Disclaimer: Capcom owns Devil May Cry… Isn't it sad when your parent's plans for you involve becoming someone a lot of people don't want you to become? –smiles sardonically while looking at Ninja Theory-

Author's Notes (feel free not to read if you have read Devil May Cry 2 novel): Concerning Devil May Cry 2 novel, if you guys don't know it, here's what you need to know to understand this story: there's a parallel world where Sparda was betrayed by the humans and he got killed by Mundus which made the assimilation of the human world and the demon world a success, Dante was the one who got captured by Mundus rather than Vergil (this is in parallel to Devil May Cry 1's background story where Vergil didn't just disappear as opposed to DMC3's plot, he was captured and brainwashed by Mundus when he was a child, so Vergil being kind is actually because, in that novel, it's hinted that Eva survived and raised Vergil which would make Vergil less… power hungry…). The novel did not make any reference if Dante was evil in that parallel world (although DMC2!Dante did make a comment of how freaky it would be if he had an 'evil twin' roaming around). This story takes place in a parallel world of that parallel world (does that make sense?) anyway… the main point is Dante was raised by Mundus in this story.

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Twisted

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_The smell of burning wood… _

_Unfamiliar hands carrying him towards the darkness…_

_Unfamiliar voices, once familiar in his mind, calling out to him…_

"_Master Dante!"_

"_Dante!"_

_Darkness. _

_Endless darkness. _

_Then three small lights._

_Three glowing orbs staring at him and he heard a voice, a voice he was more familiar with, telling him, "Dante, you have been abandoned. Your weakling of a mother and the demons that have betrayed me had chosen your brother instead of you. Hate them. Hate them."_

_Hate…_

_Anger…_

_Pain…_

_Longing…_

_The darkness was replaced by an opera house. Blood was everywhere, painting the walls, the ceiling and all the things in it. Disembodied bodies, body parts lying everywhere… a grotesque display of his work…_

_Yet he felt nothing…_

_No pain…_

_No anger…_

_No hate…_

_Nothing at all…_

"_You bastard!" A small weight was suddenly on his back, threatening to choke him from behind. He grabbed the weight from his back and threw it to the floor._

_A child…_

_He noticed the bandaged right arm glowing brightly but what caught his attention was the boy's eyes. Beautiful blue ice eyes stared at him with pure rage and, for once…_

_He felt 'desire'._

.

Dante opened his eyes and grabbed the incoming wrist as he felt the murderous intent of his attacker, smirking as he heard a familiar growl. Dante twisted his body and pinned his attacker to the bed he had been sleeping on, smiling as he stared at the angry face of a younger man with the same white hair, staring intently at the young man's blue ice eyes. The young man was wearing a long purple coat over a red hoodie and jeans. Underneath the hoodie, he wore a black sleeveless shirt. The young man didn't even bother to take off his boots before attacking Dante on his bed which only served to amuse the older man more. With an amused grin, Dante said, "Getting more cunning there, kid. Attacking me while I sleep… would have worked had you concealed your murderous intent. Oh. And a knife can't really kill me."

"Not if I rip your heart out with it." The young man growled and moved his right hand towards Dante.

Dante grabbed the young man's right hand as well and smirked as he said, "Sorry, kid, but your glow stick will never be able to hit me."

"My name is Nero!" The young man shouted and tried to kick him but Dante placed his legs between the younger man's legs which caused Nero to growl and trash wildly, opening his mouth as if he was planning to bite Dante. Dante laughed and pressed his body against the slimmer man; pining the young man's wrists on both sides of his head.

"How many years have you threatened to do that?" Dante said with amusement in his tone, smiling as he pressed his forehead against the younger man, "You are so cute, kid."

Nero growled and twisted his right hand. His right hand slipped from Dante's grasp and he moved his right hand towards Dante's chest. Dante felt the young man's talons touch the necklace around his neck and he reacted impulsively, grabbing Nero's right wrist and flipping him to his stomach. Before Nero could move, he felt the muzzle of one of Dante's handgun pressed against his temple and his entire body turned rigid. Dante stared at Nero with cold eyes as he warned the young man, "I've told you more than once already, right? Never touch my necklace, Nero. This necklace is my heart. It's more important than my life. Do you understand, kid?"

Nero didn't reply and they stared at each other in silence, Nero's angry stare versus Dante's cold stare. As they continued their stare-off, the door opened and Dante didn't need to turn his head to know who had entered his room and he asked, "What is it, Trish?"

"Lord Mundus has an order for our squad, Dante." A beautiful blonde woman said as she walked towards them. She stopped by the foot of the bed and crossed her arms as she asked, "Well? How long are you planning on pressing a gun that you will never fire on that boy?"

"Go and screw a Frost, Trish." Nero hissed at the blonde woman vehemently.

"I think the one who has a higher chance of getting screwed between the two of us is you, boy." Trish retorted with a smirk.

Dante sighed and moved away from Nero. When he noticed that Nero was about to try something foolish, Dante ordered, "Sit."

Nero growled as the collar around his neck glowed and his entire body moved without his consent. Nero sat next to Dante but the young man continued to glare at Dante as if he was trying to kill the older half-breed with his eyes. Dante turned towards Trish and asked sarcastically, "And what atrocity does his Lordship want me to do?"

"It has come to Lord Mundus' attention that a band of humans are artificially creating demons." Trish smirked as she said, "Our master wants us to kill every single one of them."

"Ah. Massacre, how very repetitive." Dante waved his hand as he said with boredom in his tone, "Find and kill. Find and kill. Find and kill. Rinse and repeat."

"I think you may be interested at where these humans are supposedly hiding." Trish said with a smile as she placed her hand on Dante's shoulder. Trish stared at Nero with amused eyes as she said, "They're hiding in a castle in Fortuna."

Nero's eyes widened and he stared at Trish. Dante smirked and turned his head to look at Nero as he said with amusement, "Would you look at that? They're hiding in the island where we met. It must be fate."

Dante stood and walked towards the chair where his red coat was resting as he said, "And what about the rebel forces?"

Dante took the red coat on the chair. As Dante was putting on the coat, Trish crossed her arms and replied with a sigh, "Not much to report. They're hiding in some mountain, amassing their forces under the banner of one half-breed."

"Nelo Angelo." Dante hissed the name and his eyes narrowed as he gripped his necklace. With a smirk, he turned to face Trish and said with amusement laced in his words, "How about we destroy some human settlements? The rebel forces seemed to enjoy mingling with humans. Maybe these humans can tell us something while they're begging for their lives?"

"And what of Lord Mundus' order?" Trish asked as she narrowed her eyes towards Dante but a malicious smirk appeared on her lips, obviously liking Dante's idea.

"Nero can do that." Dante turned his attention towards the young man sitting on the bed. Nero's eyes widened and Dante walked towards him. The older man grabbed Nero by the chin and forced him to stare at Dante's eyes as the older man asked, "You can do it, right? It will be easy for you to kill humans… even humans from your hometown."

"You bastard." Nero hissed and Dante laughed.

"Come on, kid. Kill them and all the artificial demons you see then go home. It's just another mission." Dante said as if he had just told Nero to take the trash out. Dante leaned forward, their noses almost touching as he said, "All that's different is that the humans you are going to kill may be someone you know but that's alright, right? The people you cared about are already dead."

Dante leaned away as he continued with a smirk on his lips, "I killed them."

"You bastard!" Nero shouted, wanting to tackle to the man to the floor and rip him apart. But his body won't listen to his desire and he continued to sit on the bed as he was ordered to.

Dante chuckled at Nero's outburst. He placed his hand on Nero's cheek and ordered, "Go to Fortuna and kill everybody involved in the creation of those artificial demons."

Nero's collar glowed once more and Nero growled. Dante turned towards Trish and ordered, "Ready our men, Trish. We're going to party on a few human settlements."

"They will be very pleased." Trish commented with a smirk. She patted Nero's shoulder as she said, "Good luck, boy."

Trish walked out of the room, leaving Dante and Nero alone. Nero glared at Dante and hissed, "I will kill you. One of these days… I will kill you."

Dante chuckled and smiled at Nero as he replied, "I'll be waiting for your next attempt, Nero."

.

Fortuna castle was as Nero had remembered it, silent and uninviting. The only thing different was the artificial demons he had met along the way. Nero had destroyed them without breaking a sweat. Considering that he learned his swordplay from Dante and his style had developed from his continuous failed assassination attempts, mindless demons would be nothing to him.

Dante…

He was a complete enigma to Nero. The older man had spared him from the genocide that had killed the majority of Fortuna's population who had been worshipping the traitor Sparda which angered Mundus. He had kept Nero under his wing, training the young man in both the blades and the firearms. Even Nero's preferred weapons, Red Queen and Blue Rose, had been gifts from the older man. He had received Blue Rose on the sixth anniversary of their meeting, Dante's own cruel idea of a birthday celebration for Nero, and the older man had been Blue Rose's first target. Nero had shot the older man on the head and Dante fell to the floor. A moment later and the older man was laughing and telling Nero to try again, even going as far as saying that the only way to kill him was to keep his heart from beating. Red Queen was the older man's gift to Nero on the eight anniversary of their meeting and Nero had tried to cleave the man in half the moment he had gripped the handle of his sword. Dante had simply parried his attempt with his own oversized sword and Nero fell to the floor. Before he could attempt once more, Dante placed the tip of his sword by Nero's neck and that ended his first attempt of killing Dante using Red Queen. Although they had placed a collar of absolute obedience on him that meant that he will have to do whatever Dante orders, the older man never ordered Nero to stop his attempts on killing him.

Nero's eyes narrowed as he felt an unfamiliar presence coming from the hallway to his right. Nero aimed his double barreled revolver towards the hallway. He heard footsteps and Nero glared at the incoming figure. He heard a calm voice say, "I mean no harm if you are not part of the fools trying to create demons."

Nero raised his eyebrows as he noticed that the figure had stopped by the dark part of the hallway, the shadows obscuring Nero's view. From the sound of the figure's voice, he could surmise that the figure he was staring at was a man but the presence he felt was too different from the presence he felt from demons such as Trish and it wasn't the same as how he felt around humans. The man's presence is more similar to… Dante…

But this man wasn't Dante. Nero had always been able to feel Dante, no matter where the older man was, and this man did not feel like Dante. This man may be dangerous…

Sarcastically, Nero retorted, "I'm not one of them but I'm not stupid to trust a guy who I can't see."

"Forgive me. I mean no disrespect." The man walked towards him. He stopped at the lighted portion of the hallway and Nero's eyes widened as he recognized the face of the man in front of him.

"Dante?" Nero asked, staring at the man who had the same face as Dante. Although he knew that the man in front of him wasn't Dante, he couldn't help but be surprised and confused at the undeniable similarity of the man's face with Dante's. He had the same white hair and the same ice colored eyes but his hair was swiped back and his eyes a hint of gentleness as opposed to Dante's uncaring eyes. The man was wearing a blue coat over a black vest, a direct contrast to Dante's preferred red trench coats.

"Dante?" The man repeated and he stepped forward before asking, "You know my brother?"

"Brother?" Nero repeated as well.

"Yes." The man nodded and asked, "Is he alive? Is my brother well?"

Nero noticed the hint of concern in the man's voice and he said, "Back up, buddy. One at a time. First of all: who the hell are you?"

"Ah. Forgive me." The man bowed slightly, giving Nero an impression of a noble of some sort, as he introduced himself, "My name is Vergil, Dante's older twin brother."

"Dante has a twin?" Nero asked loudly as he continued to aim his revolver at the older man named Vergil.

"He… never told you?" Vergil frowned and he asked, "May I ask who you are and what is your connection to my brother?"

"Nero. My name is Nero." Nero said and grimaced as he wondered why he was bothering to even answer the man in front of him. Was it because he had the same face as Dante? Nero continued to grimace as he explained, "I guess you can say I'm your brother's slave."

"Slave?" There was doubt in Vergil's tone and Nero nodded. Vergil shook his head and said, "That must be a mistake. The Dante I know will never do such a thing. He is much too kind."

"Kind?" Nero laughed and looked at Vergil as if he had said the funniest thing, "Are you crazy? Dante? Kind?"

Nero dropped his arm as he placed his demonic right hand on his stomach as he continued to laugh, "That's… so… funny… Shit! I might die here."

Vergil frowned at Nero's reaction and Nero asked, "Have you seen Dante? Calling him kind is like calling Mundus 'good'!"

"No. I have not seen Dante." Vergil's eyes softened as he said and Nero could feel the sorrow lacing the older man's next words, "I have not seen him since he had been taken away from us by the minions of Mundus."

Nero stopped laughing and looked at Vergil with confused eyes as he asked, "Dante was captured by Mundus?"

Vergil walked towards Nero and placed his hands on Nero's shoulders. He shook Nero lightly as he asked, "Where's Dante?"

"I don't know! Some human settlement or something!" Nero shouted and pushed Vergil away.

"Is he hiding from Mundus?" Vergil asked and Nero shook his head.

"Yeah, right, like he's going to hide from his Lordship." Nero sarcastically said. Nero scoffed as he continued with a nonchalant tone, "He's probably ripping a human apart right now."

"What?" Vergil's tone held a sense of dread and confusion as he asked, "Nero… why would my brother do such a thing?"

Nero shrugged and replied, "To get information about the rebel forces, I guess. You know, the idiots trying to rally against Mundus."

"Why?"

Nero sighed and crossed his arms as he replied, "Because your supposedly 'kind' twin brother is Mundus' favorite general."

Vergil's eyes widened and he stepped back. Vergil placed his hands by his lips and he looked at the ground as he whispered, "No. That cannot be."

"Hate to break it to you, uh… Vergil, right?" Nero asked but Vergil did not answer him. Nero sighed and shook his head as he continued, "Anyway, I'm his slave and I know what I'm saying when I say he isn't kind. He's a total bastard who finds joy in bloodshed and tortu-"

"Mundus had corrupted him!" Vergil shouted and he placed his hand on his chest, gripping something from underneath the black vest he was wearing. Being with Dante for so long, Nero knew from the placement and the vague shape of what Vergil was gripping that the older man was gripping a necklace identical or, at least, similar to the necklace Dante always wore.

"Mundus… had taken him from our side." Vergil closed his eyes and hissed, "He will pay."

"Hey." Nero narrowed his eyes and gripped his revolver tightly as he asked, "You aren't… part of the rebel forces, are you?"

"I am." Vergil opened his eyes and stared at Nero seriously as he announced, "I am part of the rebel forces as their leader, Nelo Angelo."

Nero blinked once before he laughed. Vergil frowned and asked, "What are you laughing, Nero?"

"Because of what you just said, dumbass!" Nero said with amusement shining in his eyes. He laughed once more and placed his right hand on his forehead, "Oh, this is just fucking rich! You're Dante's twin and you're also Nelo Angelo? You guys seriously have some Abel and Cain shit going on!"

Vergil smiled bitterly as he mused, "Now that Dante is with Mundus, I suppose we are Abel and Cain. Mother will be direly saddened but if Dante becomes an obstacle to our cause then…"

Vergil's eyes narrowed and he stared at Nero with determination, "I will have to kill him."

Nero immediately aimed his revolver at Vergil's head once more and his eyes stared at Vergil's own eyes with intensity. It was as if amusement and humor had never passed the young man's eyes. He glared at Vergil and hissed, "I won't let you kill Dante. I'll kill you before you can even try and kill Dante."

Vergil gave a small smile as he said, "You care for my brother."

"Don't say that crap." Nero hissed and said, "Dante is mine. I will be the one to kill him."

Vergil's smile dropped and he replied, "I see. Then why are you following him if your intention is to kill him?"

"Because of this." Nero used his right hand to point at the collar on his neck, "Being in a rebel force whose members are mostly composed of demons, you should know about this."

"A binding collar." Vergil replied with a nod and explained, "A collar infused with demonic power. Anyone who wears that collar will obey all the orders given to him by the one who had placed the collar on him."

"Yeah. This little piece of shit is my very own leash." Nero dropped his left arm and said, "And his current order is to kill every idiot who had a hand in creating demons."

"What a coincidence." Vergil gave an amused small smile as he said, "I'm here for the very same thing."

"What?" Nero narrowed his eyes and asked, "Shouldn't you be trying to negotiate with these idiots? Maybe get them to join your cause or whatever crap you call it?"

Vergil shook his head and replied, "To create the artificial demons, they capture demons… most of them are from my forces."

"That sucks." Nero said but his tone would connote that he didn't really care.

Vergil chuckled at Nero's disinterest and he asked, "What about it, Nero? Would you mind teaming up with me for this mission?"

"You, the leader of the rebel forces against the evil lord Mundus, are asking me, a minion of said evil lord, to team up with you?" Nero raised an eyebrow and he asked, "Did you lose a few screws or something?"

"You have not been ordered to kill me, correct?" Vergil asked with amusement laced in his words.

"Well, yeah." Nero nodded and rubbed the side of his neck with his demonic right hand as he added, "I only do what I'm ordered to do. I don't give a rat's ass about you."

"Then wouldn't teaming with me be to your advantage?" Vergil asked and he gave a small smile as he added, "And… I wish to hear more about my brother…"

Nero frowned and warned Vergil, "It's not going to be candies and ponies, Vergil. Your brother is one of the worst kinds of person I have ever met."

"Even so, he is my brother." Vergil stared at Nero with determined eyes, "I want to know. No. I need to know."

Nero sighed and crossed his arms as he said, "Fine. I'll team up with you and I'll answer your questions about Dante but I don't really know him that well so don't expect too much."

"Thank you, Nero." Vergil said with a small smile.

Nero sighed and commented, "You know, you are so different from Dante but you both share the same face. It's just too freaky."

.

With the two of them as a team, the artificial demons were no match. Vergil had focused on destroying the demons while Nero had focused on killing every human he saw. He saw the older white haired man trying not to look at the dead bodies Nero had littered all over the place. Nero wiped the blood on his cheek with the arm sleeve of his jacket as he stared at the body in front of him, clad in a white uniform that was now drenched in the owner's own blood. Nero felt like he knew the person he had just cleaved in half but his mind cannot place it.

Then again, he had been a child back then. Whatever feelings he may have held for the owner of the cleaved body in front of him was gone.

"You are very cold." Nero turned his head to look at Vergil as the older man continued, "There is no emotion in your way of fighting. Fear, joy… remorse…"

"The only time I ever feel anything is with him." Nero replied without caring if what he was saying even made any sense at all and placed his sword on his back as continued, "I… don't feel anything. Not when it's not with him."

"And what do you feel when you are with my brother?" Vergil asked, staring at Nero with a blank expression, "Fear? Anger? Joy?"

"All of the above." Nero replied with a shrug, "Fear, anger, joy… I don't really understand it myself."

Nero looked at the blood stained floor as he replied, "It's as if… I only feel alive when I'm with him."

"And yet you wish to kill my brother?" Vergil asked and Nero chuckled sardonically.

"Yeah." Nero smirked as he said, "It's what I live for."

"Your relationship with my brother is very twisted then." Vergil said and asked, "If I ask you to join our cause, will you say no?"

"Are you an idiot?" Nero pointed at his collar once more, "Or are you just forgetful? Hello, demonic collar over here."

"We may have the capability to destroy that collar. If you joined us, we can destroy that collar." Vergil replied, staring at Nero seriously.

Nero turned his back towards Vergil and remained silent. Vergil closed his eyes as he asked, "No?"

"I can't leave him." Nero said with clenched fists.

The idea of leaving Dante… the idea of not being near the crazy red-clad half-breed…

It just didn't sit well with Nero for some reason.

"I understand. Very well…" Vergil turned his back towards Nero as well and said, "Then the next time we meet, we may be enemies."

"I'll kill you before you even get close to Dante." Nero threatened and Vergil chuckled at the young man's threat.

"Take care of yourself, Nero." Vergil said and he opened his eyes before he began to walk away.

Nero closed his eyes and whispered, "You too."

.

When he had returned to the room he had always stayed inside Mundus' kingdom, he saw Dante sitting on the edge of his bed, tapping the tip of his sword, Rebellion, to the floor in a slow rhythm tone. Nero felt dread course through his body as he noticed the blank expression of Dante. Underneath that blank expression, Nero could feel rage.

For what?

"A demon spy reported that you teamed up with Nelo Angelo." Dante said his voice void of any emotion.

"That's right." Nero nodded and he closed the door. He remained standing in front of the door as he explained, "Nelo Angelo… the half-breed leader of the rebel forces is named Vergil. He said he was your older brother."

"Twin." Dante corrected and sighed. Dante frowned as he said, "We're twins. Sure, he was born a few minutes earlier but it doesn't give him the right…"

Dante's frown turned into a glare and his tap to the floor became stronger as he hissed, "It had always been him."

Nero remained silent as Dante turned his head to look at Nero, glaring at the young man as he hissed, "Tell me. Why did you team up with that bastard?"

"It made the mission easier." Nero replied in a calm voice although, inside, he was confused to why the older man looked so angry, "We both wanted the same thing and we teamed up to get what we want easier."

Dante laughed and stood, staring at Nero as he asked, "Is that all there was, Nero?"

"Yes." Nero nodded and his eyes widened when Rebellion came flying towards him. Nero didn't have the time to move and, had Dante been aiming for his head, it would have rolled to the floor by now but Rebellion was embedded on the door behind Nero, its sharp edge just an inch away from Nero's neck.

"Liar. You wanted to go to him, didn't you?" Dante asked with narrowed eyes.

"What are you-"

"Always, always, always, always…" Dante repeated the same word over and over again as he walked towards Nero, "It had always been him. It had always been him."

"Dante-" Nero gasped as Dante wrapped his hand on his neck and slammed him to the door, "Dante!"

"It had always been him… father, mother, and those demons who were supposed to be protecting _us_!" Dante shouted as he glared at Nero, "They always picked him. Vergil. Always Vergil. Always, always, always."

"Dante-"

"And you, Nero." Dante stared at Nero and asked, "You'll pick him over me too, wouldn't you? Had it not been for this collar, you would have gone to him in a heartbeat!"

Nero began to choke as Dante tightened his grip on Nero's neck, his hands gripping Dante's arm. He wanted to say 'no', wanted to tell the older man that he got it all wrong but his mouth couldn't form the words he needed. His demonic right hand dug its nails on Dante's arm, drawing blood, but the older man paid no attention to it as he continued to stare at Nero with such intensity Nero had never saw from Dante before, "I won't let you. I won't-"

Dante threw Nero to the floor and the young man began to gasp for air. Before he could get up, Dante pinned him to the floor and hissed, "You're mine, Nero. You're mine!"

"Stop it, Dante!" Nero shouted as Dante gripped both of his wrists with only one hand; pining them above Nero's head. Nero squirmed and shouted, "Damn it, Dante! Stop!"

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Dante shouted as he shook his head furiously. His free hand gripped Nero's neck and he stared intently at the young man below him, "I won't lose anymore to him! I won't-"

"Damn it, Dante!" Nero screamed as he kicked Dante on the stomach with all of his might. The attack surprised Dante and Nero used the distraction to slip away from Dante's grip. The young man grabbed Dante by his shirt and threw him to the floor. Nero got up and straddled Dante's waist as he aimed his revolver to Dante's forehead, shouting, "Just calm the fuck down!"

"Haven't I told you, kid…" Dante grabbed Nero's left wrist and threw him off of the older man, pining the young man to the floor once more as he hissed, "… if you want to kill me, you have to aim for my heart."

Nero screamed in pain as Dante applied pressure on his left wrist. He let go of his revolver and Dante placed his left hand on Nero's cheek as he said, "I won't let him have you. Not you. Even if it means…"

Nero's eyes widened as he felt Dante's left hand around his neck once more, squeezing it tightly. Nero's demonic right hand began to hit Dante's cheek but the older man looked like he didn't even feel any of Nero's panicked hits. Nero's legs began to flail wildly and his eyes began to water as he began to gasp for breathe. His demonic right hand dropped as his strength began to leave him, his vision began to blur and his mind started to get hazy.

He was dying.

The man on top of him was killing him.

Yet… Nero couldn't find the desire to hate him.

Anger, yes… but not hate.

Never hate…

Because he was…

Yes. No matter how many times he wanted to deny it… No matter how many times he wanted to tell himself he hated the man…

He always felt the exact opposite of hate towards the older man… twisted and corrupted but it was still that feeling.

Nero wanted to laugh. He had been trying to deny it for so long, ever since Dante had reached out his hand towards him. But now that he was dying, he finally accepted it. He finally accepted that twisted and corrupted part of himself. Maybe that's why he had wanted to kill Dante for so long. Maybe he simply wanted to get rid of that twisted and corrupted part of himself.

Even if that part of himself… may not be just a part…

That's why dying in his hands…

… was alright…

And then…

Air…

Nero began to cough and gasp. He could hear two people talking but his mind couldn't register what they were saying as his brain was too preoccupied with giving the order to breathe. The first word that finally registered in his mind was "… please."

Nero turned his head towards the sound and saw Trish and Dante by the door. Trish seemed to have noticed him and she turned to look at him. She leaned towards Dante's ear and whispered something so softly Nero couldn't pick it up even if he had better hearing capabilities than a human. Dante turned to look at him with a blank expression. There wasn't the usual cruel glee in the older man or the frightening insanity Nero had seen just moments ago.

There was nothing.

Dante whispered something to Trish's ear and the demon nodded, sighing as she walked out of the room. Dante walked towards Nero and the young man immediately grabbed his revolver. Before he could aim it towards the older man, Dante ordered, "Come."

His collar glowed and Nero's entire body moved without hesitation, walking towards Dante although he still held his revolver in his left hand. He stopped in front of Dante and Nero opened his mouth to speak but Dante cut him off with another order, "Silence."

Once more, Nero's collar glowed and the young man closed his mouth. Dante placed his hand on Nero's cheek which caused the young man to turn rigid. Dante caressed Nero's cheek gently and whispered, "I'll kill him."

He wanted to say it was a misunderstanding. He wanted to say that Dante had it all wrong but the older man's order prevented him from saying anything at all.

He couldn't even tell the older man about this twisted and corrupted feeling he had.

Dante turned around and began to walk towards the door and Nero followed him in silence… like an obedient doll.

.

The rebel forces paled in comparison to Mundus' army. For every soldier that has sworn their loyalty to Nelo Angelo, there were one hundred demons awaiting them. But Mundus' large army had a fatal flaw: many demons of Mundus' army were controlled by powerful demons such as Trish and her army of beautiful blonde human-like demons. If that powerful demon controlling them was destroyed then they will be destroyed as well. That was the rebel forces' main strategy for this siege. They were betting everything in this first and final attack.

Dante and Nero walked towards Trish who was by gate. Trish looked at Dante and crossed her arms as she said, "As you have ordered, all of our troops are inside, waiting for the rebel forces to charge like pigs to a slaughter."

Nero could see the vague forms of the rebel forces. From where Nero could see them, it will only take a few minutes for the rebel forces to get inside the castle if they charge. Dante closed his eyes and said, "Thanks, Trish. Now, go."

Trish nodded and walked towards the castle. She stopped next to Nero and placed her hand on Nero's shoulder. Nero's eyes widened as Trish kissed him on the cheek. He pushed her away roughly and growled. Had he been able to speak, he would have shouted at the woman but the order for 'silence' still applied. There was no humor or amusement in Trish's face and she simply brushed her long blonde hair before walking away. Before Nero could follow Trish with his eyes and he heard Dante call his name, "Nero."

Nero turned to look back at Dante and Dante was staring at him with the same poker face. Dante's lips curved into a sorrow-filled smile as he ordered "Go to Vergil."

The collar around his neck glowed as a recognition to the order. Nero's eyes widened and he tried to open his mouth but his body won't cooperate with him. His legs began to walk towards the gate and he tried to shout, he tried to scream but all he could do was shake his head furiously as his feet continued to walk towards the gate. As he passed the older man, he swore he heard Dante whisper, "I'm sorry."

No.

This isn't what he wants.

No.

Stop.

No.

STOP!

Nero's hand gripped the tail of Dante's trench coat tightly. Dante looked at him and grinned as he said in a teasing manner Nero was so accustomed to hearing, "Adios, kid."

Dante turned and walked towards the castle and Nero's grip on the trench coat slip. Unable to scream, unable to shout, Nero's feet continued to walk at the opposite direction, towards the rebel forces. It might have only been minutes but, for Nero, time seemed to have stopped. He was stuck, forever screaming inside his mind the same word over and over again.

'No.'

"Nero?" Nero's eyes focused on the white haired man in front of him. The same face… but it wasn't him.

Behind Vergil were the rebel forces, all looking at Nero with wary eyes. Vergil walked towards him and the shadow demon that took the form of a human wearing a long black jacket said, "Please be careful, Nelo Angelo. He is-"

"Enough, Shadow." Vergil ordered before he placed his hand on Nero's shoulder. The moment Vergil's hand touched Nero's shoulder, the collar on his neck glowed brightly.

"Nelo Angelo!"

They all heard a sound of something shattering. Shards of the collar fell to the floor as all of them stared at Nero's neck. Nero placed his left hand over his neck, finding the missing weight of the collar uncomfortable. Vergil's eyes widened and he whispered, "He took it off. Dante took it off…"

Hearing the red-clad half-breed's name, Nero was taken out of his stupor. He turned around and shouted, "Dante!"

As soon as Nero took a single step towards the direction of the castle, his legs gave out. Vergil rushed towards the falling young man and managed to catch him. Nero's eyes were already beginning to close and he weakly reach out his left hand towards the castle as he whispered, "Dan… te…"

He had to return to his side.

He had to punch the older man on the face and shout at him for doing something so selfish.

And then… he would…

… tell…

… Dan… te…

"I… lo-" Nero's eyes finally closed and his hand dropped.

Vergil shook Nero lightly as he called out, "Nero? Nero."

"He has been cursed, Nelo Angelo." Shadow informed him as he walked towards Vergil, "Someone has placed a sleeping curse upon him."

"Someone…" Vergil turned his attention towards the castle. He carried Nero in his arms and called out, "Frost."

The demon called Frost walked towards Vergil and bowed. Vergil handed the sleeping young man on Frost's back and ordered, "Take Nero to a safe location and guard him."

Frost nodded and began to walk away from the rebel forces. Vergil sighed and turned his attention back to the gate. His left hand gripped the sheath of Yamato tightly as he whispered, "I suppose there is no other way, is there… brother?"

.

When he opened his eyes, everything felt different. His left hand immediately went towards his neck and felt nothing but his own flesh. As he stared at the wood ceiling, he realized what was wrong.

He couldn't feel him anymore.

He heard voices coming from the door to his right. He got off the bed and took out his revolver. He could feel someone familiar by the door and he aimed his revolver to where the head of the one opening the door would be.

The door opened and he saw the face he wanted to see.

But it wasn't him…

"Nero-"

"You killed him, didn't you?" Nero asked, a bitter smile appearing on his face as he stared at the older son of Sparda.

"Nero…" Vergil took a step forward and Nero took a step back, his hand shaking as he continued to aim the revolver towards Vergil's head.

"I can't… I can't feel him anymore…" Nero said shakily and his vision began to blur as his eyes watered. Nero shook his head and closed his eyes before screaming, "You killed him! You killed Dante!"

"Nero-"

"Damn it! God damn it!" Nero screamed and he dropped his arm. He stared at Vergil and tears began to fell from his eyes as he continued to scream, "I should have been the one to kill him! I should have been to one to… to…"

Nero's legs finally gave up and he continued to cry, screaming as he dropped his revolver to the floor, "Damn it! He was my life! He was my entire life!"

Ever since that day when Dante didn't kill him… ever since that day when Dante took him…

Dante had been Nero's entire life.

"And now… And now…" Nero continued to sit on the floor as his entire body refused to continue his sentence. His hands went towards his neck and tried to grip a collar that was no longer there, one of the few things that had connected him to the red-clad man, "What the hell am I suppose to do now?"

"Nero…" Vergil knelt in front of Nero and gently took the younger man's hands from his neck. He placed them on Nero's lap before grabbing something from his coat. Nero's eyes widened as he recognized the item Vergil was holding.

An amulet…

Dante's amulet…

Vergil locked the clasp the necklace around Nero's neck and Nero grabbed the amulet on his neck, staring at it with tear-filled eyes.

"Dante wanted you to have his necklace." Vergil's eyes softened as he added, "He said you would understand what it means."

'_This necklace is my heart.'_

Nero gripped the amulet tight and pressed it against his chest and he cried loudly. Nero closed his eyes and shouted, "You are just fucking unfair! Dante!"

.

"_Grant me this last selfish plea, Trish. Make Nero fall asleep." _

"_When he gets to Nelo Angelo?" Trish stared at the half-breed in front of her for a moment. A sad smile appeared on her face as she asked, "So this is your plan? If the rebel forces fail, Nero will be asleep and will not be deemed a traitor and he will return to you. If the rebel forces succeed, I would be dead, Nero will wake up from my spell and will be with Nelo Angelo."_

"_Not quite." A sad smile appeared on Dante's face as he corrected, "If we win, I want you to take Nero far away from Mundus and myself. Far, far away… in a place no one will ever harm him again."_

"_Oh? You would be willing to lose the only thing that ever made you feel alive?" Trish asked, knowing Dante the best since she had been created as a substitute to Eva to ensure Dante's loyalty towards Mundus._

_Before he had taken the boy to Mundus' castle, Dante had never looked like he was alive. He seemed to be a puppet simply following Mundus' orders. When he came back with Nero, Dante seemed to have regained a personality... albeit a twisted one.  
><em>

_Dante laughed bitterly and his eyes softened as he stared at the young man currently coughing on the floor, "What can I say? I'm just that twisted."_

_Dante turned to face Trish and whispered, "Trish… please." _

.

Author's End Rants: Yup. That's the end. This story came to me because of the messages my ex-boyfriend was sending me the past weeks which annoyed me. I thought of this story in an attempt to try and forget about his annoying messages but it seemed my frustration has caused this story to have a very sad ending. Feel bad/sad/angry that Dante died? Want a continuation? If my ex stopped annoying me or if a lot of readers ask for a continuation or a sequel, maybe I'll add a sequel or something… -smiles tiredly-


	2. Despair

Warning: DantexNero, Evil!Dante, Evil!Trish, suicidal!Nero, Good!Vergil (what the hell?), heavy reference to the Devil May Cry 2 novel, time/parallel world traveling, and character's death

Disclaimer: Due to excessive procrastination, this author was not able to acquire enough knowledge and money to buy Devil May Cry.

Author's Notes (feel free not to read if you have read Devil May Cry 2 novel): The same notes as the first chapter's notes still applies. Added notes are the following: 'Beastheads' is a statue that supposedly shows the past or future to the user and has the power to transport people to a parallel world. If a human 'fuses' with the statue, the statue 'eats' the human and become a three-headed dog-like demon. Beryl is a female demon hunter who commissioned Dante to help her find the Beastheads. The Devil May Cry 2 novel serves as a prequel to Devil May Cry 2 (but it didn't explain why Dante was being more silent than usual).

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Twisted: "Despair"

.

The room was clad in black marble. This was one of the few rooms that remained after the fight between the rebel forces and the king of the demon world. On the center of the room was a circular pit filled with different artifacts. Nero recognized some of them as Devil Arms while others appeared to be accessories or decorations.

"They call this a vault." Vergil's cool voice explained from behind Nero. Nero didn't bother to acknowledge Vergil and he continued to stare at the pit. It was like a treasure room but Nero could feel that every item in that pit was dangerous one way or another. He noticed Vergil stopped next to him but he remained silent, focusing his attention to the pit. Vergil sighed tiredly and a small sad smile appeared on his face as he asked, "Do you find my presence that disgusting, Nero?"

"No." Nero curtly replied and he walked around the pit's perimeter. Vergil did the same but he started at the opposite direction. Nero glanced at his companion and noticed the slight furrowing on the man's face. Nero sighed and said in a disinterested voice, "You know, Vergil… you don't have to act like you care."

"I do care." Vergil replied and he stopped, staring intently at something in the pit.

Nero scoffed and stopped as well. He crossed his arms and said, "Please. We all know there are a lot of idiots under your command that wants me dead."

"I will not let that happen."

Nero growled at the reply, finding Vergil's serious tone irritating. Nero glared at the older man and asked loudly, "Why? Why the hell are you trying to protect me?"

Vergil turned to look at Nero but continued to remain quiet. Nero took out his revolver and aimed it on Vergil's head. The blue-clad son of Sparda didn't move. From Nero's perspective, it was almost as if Vergil had resigned to his fate. Nero glared at Vergil as he hissed, "Your face… it pisses me off."

Vergil's eyes softened as he asked, "Is it because I have the same face as Dante?"

"Shut up!" Nero screamed and closed his eyes. Vergil's eyes widened when Nero moved his arm so that his revolver was aimed at Nero's temple.

"Nero!"

A loud ear shattering shot echoed all over the room which was accompanied by a loud thud. The door opened hastily and a man clad in a black jacket rushed to the room, "Nelo Angelo!"

"We're fine!" Vergil shouted as he gripped Nero's wrists. Behind the man wearing a black jacket, every soldier that has heard the shot was rushing to see the commotion.

"Let me go, you bastard!" Nero screamed as he tried to get away from Vergil's grasp.

"Nelo Ange-"

Vergil glared at the man nearing them and ordered, "Leave us, Shadow."

Shadow backed away and Nero shouted, "Damn it! Just let me die!"

There were a few soldiers who gasped. While everyone knew that Nero was part of Mundus' army, they had always assumed him to be a deserter or a traitor. There were doubts about his intention but their leader had made it clear that anyone who would even try to hurt Nero would be punished. They didn't even thought about the possibility that Nero was suicidal.

Vergil glared at them and ordered, "Leave us!"

The soldiers cowered and briskly left the room, not wanting to receive their leader's wrath. Shadow stared at Vergil for a moment before walking towards the door. As Shadow walked out of the room, he began to close the door and Vergil heard him say, "It might be wise to listen to his wish, Nelo Angelo."

The sound of the door closing seemed to be a trigger to Nero. He lost his desire to fight and simply let Vergil pin him to the floor. Nero turned his head towards the door and whispered, "Why won't you just let me die?"

"I cannot do such a thing." Vergil replied and sorrow filled his eyes as he whispered, "Dante will not forgive me."

Nero laughed but his laughter was empty and it was that emptiness that caused Vergil's sorrow to grow. Nero turned to look at Vergil and smiled cruelly as he asked, "Dante won't forgive you? Or you won't forgive yourself?"

Vergil's eyes widened and Nero continued, "You killed your own brother and now you're trying to find redemption through me."

"That's not-"

"Dante was evil." Nero noticed the slight discomfort his words had caused Vergil but Nero continued, "Killing him… was inevitable."

"But I-"

"You're the new king of this world, Vergil." Nero turned his head to the side once more as he continued, "You should focus on rebuilding this world."

"Face it." Nero smiled sadly as he said, "As long as I exist, you will always feel guilty over what you have done."

"That does not mean I can just let you die." Vergil gripped Nero's wrists tightly as he said, "Dante asked me to take care of you, Nero."

Nero chuckled and looked at Vergil. Rather than the tear filled sorrowful eyes that Vergil had seen when he had delivered the amulet, Nero stared at him with a bitter smile and empty eyes as he whispered, "Liar."

"Why can you not trust me, Nero?" Vergil asked softly. The hands that were gripping his wrists loosened their hold.

"Nelo Angelo!" Shadow opened the door once more but both Nero and Vergil did not look at him. Shadow bowed before he explained, "We have a problem."

Nero and Vergil continued to stare at each other as the younger man whispered, "You should let go, Vergil."

Although he didn't know if Nero meant about his current situation or about what was happening ever since the fall of Mundus, Vergil reluctantly got off of Nero and stood. Nero continued to lie on the floor, turning his head to the side to look at the door where Shadow was waiting patiently with his head bowed. Vergil grabbed Blue Rose from the floor and said, "I'm confiscating this."

Nero remained silent and Vergil walked out of the room with Shadow. Shadow closed the door and their eyes met for a moment. Once the door was close, Nero chuckled and closed his eyes as he whispered, "Idiot. You left me in a room with Devil Arms."

Nero sat up and rubbed the back of his head. With a tired sigh, he stood and walked towards the pit. There were different Devil Arms he could use but the question was did he want to use it?

For what reason did he want to end his life?

Nero's left hand immediately went towards the amulet around his neck, gripping the gem tightly as he whispered, "It's too heavy."

Nero closed his eyes and pressed the amulet against his chest. He bit his bottom lip and covered his eyes with his right hand, trying to keep the pain from consuming him as he whispered, "It's not fair. It just isn't fair."

Who was being unfair?

Dante who didn't let him say what he had wanted to say?

Vergil who was keeping Nero safe because he wanted redemption?

Or him who wish for death even if it meant betraying both Dante and Vergil?

"This is just so fucked up." Nero hissed as he pressed his right hand towards his eyes, refusing to shed even one drop of tear. He had already cried enough. The pain in his chest felt too heavy and Nero dropped to his knees, trying to stop the tears that were threatening to fall as he mumbled, "Damn it. Damn it!"

Ever since Dante died…

The twisted feeling he had always have for Dante began twisting around him, choking him. It was painful. So painful that Nero wished for death but that twisted feeling simply continued to choke him. It never went far enough to kill him.

Nero finally dropped on the cold marble floor. There was a slight pain as his head hit the floor but Nero didn't pay any attention to it, his eyes staring at the pit. If he wanted to, he could reach his hand towards the pit and grab one of the Devil Arms.

Why was he hesitating?

"_Dante asked me to take care of you, Nero."_

Nero shook his head and closed his eyes. That was a lie. It had to be a lie. Dante hated Vergil. Dante had wanted to kill Vergil. Why would Dante ask Vergil to take care of Nero?

Didn't Dante abandon him?

"_I'm sorry."_

Those words meant that Dante was sorry he was abandoning him, right?

It was unfair. Everything was just so unfair.

Nero opened his eyes and reached out his left hand towards the pit. Before he could reach the nearest Devil Arm, his fingers slightly touched a statue of a three headed beast and Nero's eyes widened as an image appeared on his mind.

It was a man with his back turned towards Nero.

It was…

"Dan… te?" Nero whispered and he stared at the statue.

… _love?_

"What?" Nero placed his hands by his ears.

Did he just imagine a voice talking to him?

… _with thy love?_

Nero's eyes widened as he heard the voice again. He stared at the statue as he finally heard the complete question.

_Dost thou desire to be with thy love?_

The statue was talking to him. Nero glared at the statue. He wasn't an idiot. He knew that anything in that pit could easily kill him if he wasn't cautious.

But the statue's question…

"Will you… let me be with Dante?" Nero asked as he gripped the amulet tightly with his right hand.

_Accept us and thy desire shall be granted._

It was a trap. Nero knew it was a trap. Who in their right mind would listen to a talking statue anyway?

But Nero wasn't in his right mind.

Not anymore.

All that mattered was…

Nero reached out and grabbed the statue. His eyes widened as all of his senses were overloaded by a vision.

_Their blades crossed, creating a loud metallic sound that resonated all over the room. Both of them had the same face. Both of them had the same blood flowing in their veins. _

_But their destiny was not the same._

_They jumped away from one another and stared at one another. Both of them were panting hard, their legs ready to give up any moment. The one wearing a red trench coat smiled as he cockily said, "Getting a bit sloppy there, Vergil."_

_The one with the blue coat gave a forced smile and retorted, "I can say the same to you, Dante."_

_The man in red gripped his oversized sword tightly and said with a smirk playing in his tired face, "Then let's make this our finale."_

_The man in blue narrowed his eyes but there was a hint of sorrow in his eyes and gripped the sheath of his katana tightly as he said, "If there is no other way."_

"_Vergil!" The red-clad man charged, planning to cleave his opponent in half. _

"_Dante!" The blue-clad man shouted with the same intensity as his opponent, unsheathing his katana._

_They passed one another with their blades crossing briefly and they both stopped just behind their opponent. Time seemed to have stopped as well for a moment. Then…_

"_Too naïve, Vergil!" The man in red shouted as he turned around, his sword poised to cleave his twin in half. As he was turning around, the man in blue changed the way he held his katana and pushed it behind him. The blade of the katana was thrust deep inside the red-clad man's chest just as he had turned to face his twin. _

_The oversized sword fell on the floor with a loud metallic thud. The red-clad man chuckled as blood began to drip from the wound on his chest. With a smirk, the wounded man placed his hand on the hand gripping the katana and he mused, "Figures… I would have… time to talk…"_

"_It's our devil side." The blue-clad man explained coolly but his face appeared to be one filled with sorrow as he continued, "It's trying to revive our human side."_

"_Can't even… die peacefully… huh…" The red-clad man coughed up more blood and his free hand rested on his opponent's back. He gripped the hand holding the katana tightly as he asked, "Vergil… Nero's… safe, right?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Good." A small smile appeared on the dying man's face as blood drip from the corner of his lips, "Take care of him. He can be a handful… but…"_

_The blue-clad man's hands began to shake as the man behind him continued to cough. The red-clad man chuckled once more but it felt as if he was simply masking the pain he was feeling. With a smirk, he asked, "Yamato's… keeping me… from really dying… right?"_

"_Dante-"_

"_Good luck… fighting Mundus…" The dying man coughed once more and he pushed his twin away, the katana leaving him. Blood began gushing out of his wound and he fell on his knees. _

"_Dante!" The man in blue shouted as he rushed to catch the falling man. He caught his twin and his younger brother smiled sadly as he handed his amulet to his older brother._

"_Give this… to…" The red-clad man's voice became softer and his eyes began to become unfocused as he tried to force the words out, "… Nero… he'll…"_

"_Dante…" The blue-clad man whispered the name of his twin as he gripped the amulet being offered to him._

"… _understand… what…" The red-clad man's eyes slowly closed as he continued, "… it… means…"_

"_Dante!" The older brother shouted as he shook his twin. His eyes widened as the man in his arms did not move. He held his twin tightly as tears fell from his eyes, "Dante…" _

Nero fell on his knees once more, tightly gripping the statue with his left hand while his right hand gripped the amulet around his neck. Tears were falling from his eyes and he stared at the black marble floor as he tried to process the vision he saw.

It was a vision of the past… Dante's death…

Nero felt the need to throw up but he couldn't even do that. His entire body racked with pain and grief. His chest felt like it was on fire. Nero closed his eyes and whispered, "You're so unfair, Dante!"

Nero's eyes widened as he felt another vision rock his senses. Nero fell on the floor, clutching his head with his right hand.

Visions upon visions rocked all of his senses, threatening to destroy him. They weren't visions of the past or the future. They were visions of what could have happened.

What could have happened had Nero accompanied Dante to fight Vergil…

Dante would still die. Dante would have still died by Vergil's katana and Nero would have been powerless to stop him.

What could have happened had Nero begged Dante to not fight, to leave with him…

Dante would still die. He would not listen to Nero's plea and will be killed by Vergil.

Even if he did agree, Dante would have been killed by Mundus' army.

"Stop it! Stop it!" Nero shouted as he gripped the amulet tightly, tears falling from his eyes but the visions continued.

What could have happened had Dante betrayed Mundus…

Dante would still die but he would be killed by Mundus instead of Vergil.

What could have happened had Nero tried to kill Mundus…

Before Mundus could kill him, Dante would protect him and die in his stead, dying in his arms as he ordered Nero to run away.

Nero tightly gripped the statue as visions upon visions appeared before him. No matter what happens… No matter how small or how large a difference Nero made, Dante's fate was always the same.

It was as if the statue was telling him that Nero will never be with Dante, no matter what he does or what he doesn't do.

The visions finally disappeared and Nero felt as if his entire body was too heavy. He simply continued to lie on the floor, his left hand gripping the statue while his right hand gripped the amulet with enough intensity that any normal metal would have bended. Tears continued to fall from his eyes but Nero paid no attention to them, staring at the black marble ceiling.

"I want…" Nero's voice was hoarse as he closed his eyes, "I want to see him…"

Nero placed the gem of his amulet on his face and he closed his eyes as he whispered, "I want to see him alive…"

It didn't matter if Dante didn't know him. It didn't matter if Dante hated him.

All Nero wanted was to see Dante alive once more.

… _to us?_

Nero's eyes opened and he turned to look at the statue.

… _sacrifice thine all to us?_

Nero smiled bitterly and asked, "Would you grant my wish if I do?"

It was a deal with the devil.

No good could ever come from agreeing to it.

But Nero didn't care anymore.

How many times did the visions kill Dante?

Four?

Ten?

A dozen?

No…

More than a thousand…

Every possible change in the past would still result to his death.

All Nero wanted was to see him alive.

That's why…

Nero shoved the statue to his mouth and tried to grind it with his teeth.

.

It felt like he was sleeping in a cold space. His entire body seemed too heavy and he simply wanted to continue to rest but he heard a voice.

"How many times do I have to fight you before you bring me back to my world?"

He opened his eyes and saw the man he had wanted to see for so long. His chest swelled with happiness but then he noticed it.

The man in front of him looked older than he remembered. His attire was also different. He still had a red trench coat but it was different from the usual red trench coats he wore. But the voice and the feeling he gave him was still the same.

He wanted to shout his name but his lips wouldn't move. He saw the red-clad man dodge an attack and fire off his twin handguns towards him.

It hurts…

It hurts…

Was he punishing him?

"Just roll over and play dead already!" The red-clad man shouted as he raised his oversized sword to cleave him in half.

A pained howl escaped his lips and that's when Nero realized what was happening.

Dante was fighting him.

Dante was killing him.

Why?

He saw his reflection on Dante's sword.

He was no longer a human.

He was a demon… a three-headed demon.

The statue had granted his wish. He finally saw Dante alive. Now… it was time for his punishment.

Every deal with the devil will have compensation and Nero's compensation was to lose his body.

The demon that had taken his body threw Dante to the wall with its paw. Dante prepared to charge him once more.

Nero raised his right hand and focused everything he had to control the demonic body.

What Dante wanted was his death.

That was alright.

Nero already got his wish.

If his death meant Dante's survival then… Nero would give it to him.

Dante charged him and Nero closed his eyes as he tried to wrestle control over the demonic body that now held him. He could only stop the demon's movements for a few seconds but that was all Dante needed. Dante cleaved the three-headed demon in half. The demon howled and Nero let out a pained scream as he felt the same pain as the demon had felt. The pain he felt seemed to slowly disappear, leaving behind a numbing sensation.

And it was that numbing sensation that was the most frightening of all…

Dante's eyes widened as a figure fell from one of the cleaved portion of the demon, falling straight to Dante's arms. Although he should have kept his guard and move away from the falling figure, Dante's body reacted automatically as he recognized the figure.

"Nero?"

Nero fell on Dante's arms with his eyes closed. Dante saw the large wound across Nero's chest, an exact replica of the demon's cleaved body. Dante was confused at what was happening.

Why was Nero here?

Why was Nero inside the Beastheads?

Dante's questions came into a halt when Nero opened his eyes and smiled at Dante softly. He weakly placed his left hand on Dante's cheek and whispered, "You're alive."

"Nero, are you from another world?" Dante asked as he stared at Nero with confused eyes. That was the only explanation Dante could think of. The first parallel world he had been, he found out his twin had been a hero. Maybe Nero came from another world…

Another world?

Dante's words may seem far-fetch but Nero believed him. How else could this man currently holding him be Dante yet not his Dante?

"Even if it's not really you…" Nero whispered as he felt his conscious slowly fading. He was dying. He knew it. But before he dies… before he could no longer see Dante again…

"I wanted to tell you…" Nero's eyes began to water once more as he whispered, "I love you."

He wanted to say more but he knew that he wouldn't be able to.

But to finally say it…

It was enough…

No.

That wasn't the truth.

Dante's eyes widened and Nero chuckled as he mused, "Maybe your world is far too different from mine but…"

Nero continued to smile softly as tears began to fell from his eyes, "… no matter what world you're from…"

No matter what past Dante may have. No matter how twisted Dante could be. Even if the world this Dante had come from had been a world where Nero was never there for him…

"I will still love you."

He was still Dante.

"Your heart…" Nero unlocked the clasp of his necklace as he continued, "I'm returning it to you…"

Nero locked the clasp of the necklace around Dante's neck as he added, "… together with mine."

Nero closed his eyes and leaned towards Dante as he whispered, "Please… lie to me, Dante."

"What?"

"Tell me…" Nero continued to smile softly as he gripped the fabric of Dante's trench coat, "… you love me."

Even if it was a lie…

Even if he was being unfair…

Just this once…

"Please…"

Let this twisted feeling come to peace…

"Nero…"

He could feel his conscious falling. Everything was starting to feel too far away. But his voice…

"I love you."

The man's words, although they may be a lie, was enough. That choking sensation he always felt started to crumble… or was he starting to lose all of his sensation?

"I love you."

He felt something fall to his face, wetting his cheeks. Was it tears? Was Dante crying?

"I love you."

He felt Dante's hold on him tightened. He felt warm. Dante was warm and his words, which may be a lie, brought warmth to his heart.

"I love you."

His entire body relaxed and he whispered, "Thank you…"

Dante's eyes widened as everything grew bright and he could no longer feel the weight of the young man in his arms. He screamed Nero's name but no sound came out. The sensation was familiar. It was the same sensation as when he was being swallowed by the Beastheads. He was… being transported again…

.

He didn't understand why he had traveled all the way to this secluded island. He didn't even bother to leave the port, staring intently at the setting sun. The captain of the boat that had taken him to this island was barking orders to his crew. From the amount of sacks that were still on the port, Dante could guessed that it would take them a few more minutes before they would be ready to set sail once more. Dante had already told the captain that he would be joining them on the way back. Before that few minutes were up, he had to do what he came here to do.

But what was that?

Dante turned his head to look at the amulet in his hand. It was identical to the amulet he always wore but it felt different.

The amulet in his hand felt heavier. It felt… more painful…

Dante gripped the amulet tightly and closed his eyes.

After all the commotion about the Beastheads was done, Dante had been offered a job once more. This time, it was a map to a museum. He could feel it. Whatever was waiting for him in that museum was going to be one hell of a party.

But Dante couldn't shake the feeling.

No.

That wasn't correct.

Dante couldn't shake the memory of the young man dying in his arms as he gave him the amulet.

The young man begging him to lie…

To tell him…

"Dante?" Dante's stupor came into a halt as he recognized the voice of the young man currently haunting his mind. Dante turned around and saw the same young man staring at him but it wasn't him.

This was the Nero of his world. Nero… the punk who tried to kill him more than once, the kid who currently has Yamato, and the man who did everything to save the woman he loves.

A bitter smile appeared on his face as he realized how stupid he was. The young man was probably living a happy life here with his beautiful girlfriend. They might even be married already.

What was he doing here, anyway?

Was he expecting that the young man currently in front of him was the same young man that had died in his arms, asking for him to lie?

Did he even need to lie back then?

"Dante?" Nero called out once more and Dante blinked.

"Sorry. Had a lot of things in my mind." Dante lied as he continued to smile bitterly at Nero.

"So…" Nero rubbed the side of his nose as he looked away, "Do you have any reasons to be here?"

"Not really." Dante replied, turning to look at the sea. It looked as if the sea was slowly swallowing up the sun which only served to remind Dante of how slow the young man had died in his arms. Nero walked towards him and stared at the sea as well. Dante didn't look at him as he asked, "How did you know I was here?"

"I felt it." Nero replied. He rubbed the side of his nose once more and added, "I guess you can say, I suddenly heard myself say: 'Dante's at the port' or something."

"You felt it?" Dante repeated and his smile grew bitterer as he said, "Must be our devil side. They must have communicated or felt each other."

"It was kind of creepy." Nero commented before a shy smile formed on his lips, "But… it also felt nice."

"Nice?" Dante repeated, unsure on how to answer Nero.

Nero nodded and looked at the ground as he explained, "Knowing that you were here… I felt safe."

Nero shook his head and hastily said as he looked at Dante, "Not that I was afraid or anything! Just-"

Dante chuckled and Nero stopped talking. Dante turned to Nero and said, "I understand what you mean, kid. I feel the same way."

Maybe that was why his death had been painful.

Nero continued to stare at him with confused eyes. Before Dante could ask what was wrong, Nero asked, "Dante, what's wrong?"

"What do you mean, kid?" Dante asked, trying to force a smile.

"You look like… you're in pain." Nero explained and tried to reach out to Dante. Dante moved away from Nero's approaching left hand and Nero seemed to have noticed it. Nero's hand dropped to his side and he looked away.

That hurt look on Nero's face brought back the smiling face of the Nero who had died in his arms. He had continued to smile at Dante till the very end but his eyes looked so sorrowful then. It was as if he had been in pain for so long that he could no longer truly be happy.

It was as if someone had twisted his feelings until they could no longer be returned to normal.

Dante continued to smile bitterly as he apologized, "Sorry…"

Nero opened his mouth to speak but Dante sighed and looked back at the sea. The painful smile on the older man's face was all it took to keep Nero from speaking and Dante said, "I… lost someone recently."

"Was that person important?" Nero asked although he could surmise that the person Dante had lost was important. Why else would the older man look like he was in pain?

Nero was surprised by Dante's answer.

"I don't know."

Nero furrowed and he asked, "You don't know?"

Dante rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand as he explained, "Maybe it was the fact that it could happen."

… that Nero could die…

… that Nero was in love with him…

"Or maybe it's the fact that I never realized it until it was too late." Dante said and his hand dropped. Dante turned to look at Nero and asked, "Are you happy, Nero?"

"Huh?" The question had caught him off-guard. Nero's cheeks reddened and he stuttered, "I-I… I mean… I-"

Dante couldn't help but chuckle at Nero's reaction but his laughter felt empty.

It wasn't that it was empty.

It was… a pained laughter.

The amulet wasn't the only thing the dying young man had given him back then. He also gave him this twisted feeling that Dante always had but never acknowledged.

Dante closed his eyes and whispered, "I see. So you're happy."

"Dante…"

"Close your eyes, Nero." Dante softly ordered as he opened his eyes. Nero stared at Dante for a moment before silently closing his eyes. A bitter smile appeared on his face once more as he realized how obedient Nero was. The young man didn't even ask why. Dante gripped the amulet in his hand and stared at it.

When the young man had given it to him, Dante couldn't stop the tears from falling.

Maybe it was the memory of his mother's death. Maybe it was the soft smile the young man had continued to give him as his life left his body. Maybe it was the feeling that had been to twist around his chest as the young man continued to die in his arms. Maybe it was the fact that he could only watch in agony as he continued to say the words the young man wanted to hear.

"It wasn't a lie." Dante whispered as he locked the clasp of the amulet around the younger hunter's neck.

Nero's eyes opened slowly and he asked, "What wasn't a lie?"

"This twisted feeling." Dante softly smiled and Nero stared at the amulet on his neck with confusion dancing in his eyes. Nero touched the gem with his left hand and Dante said, "Keep it."

"Huh? But-"

"Hey! We're going!" The captain shouted, causing Nero to stop talking.

Dante turned his back towards Nero and he said, "It's an important amulet and you're the only one who can have it."

Maybe he was simply passing it to Nero because it felt too heavy to carry. Maybe it was his way of giving Nero the twisted feeling that the dying young man who had the same face as Nero had given him. Maybe he was being unfair. But Dante felt that it was the right thing to do. He felt that Nero was the only one who should wear that amulet.

It wasn't the amulet his mother has given him.

It was the amulet of a young man who died.

It was the amulet of a young man who asked for a lie till his last breath.

Maybe Nero could find the happiness the young man had never acquired.

Even if… that happiness wasn't with him…

"Dante…" Nero called out to him and Dante noticed the confusion and worry in his tone.

"Keep that amulet safe. 'Kay, kid?" Dante began to walk away.

"Dante!" Nero shouted and asked loudly, "Will you visit Fortuna again?"

Dante simply gave Nero one wave like the last time they had parted. Since he was already too far away from Dante, Nero didn't hear Dante's next sentence.

"Maybe in another world, we could have…" Dante stopped his sentence and a bitter smile appeared on his lips once more.

He almost didn't felt like he wanted to go to the museum anymore but he was a devil hunter. He would continue to fight demons.

And Nero would keep the amulet that Dante had engraved his twisted feelings in.

When Dante had held the amulet, it felt as if there were two twisted feelings in them and he added his own.

Maybe Nero would be able to carry it. Maybe Nero would be able to untie the twisted part of those feelings.

But for now, Dante had work to do.

He had to work as a devil hunter…

Alone like always.

.

.

Author's End Rants: Here's my attempt of trying to explain why Dante was so silent in DMC2. –laughs- Okay. –puts on Kevlar vest and a safety helmet- Before you try and kill me for killing off Nero, I would like to say that I have another sequel in mind for this (meaning this story is now three parts) so just wait for it and maybe I can give it a happy ending… or maybe I would kill Vergil mainly because he's the only one I haven't killed yet. –sees Sempai glaring at me- Uhh… I was kidding! – runs- I was kidding!


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